MGIS Degree Curriculum

The professional Master of Geographic Information Systems (MGIS) degree program includes 23-26 required credits and a minimum of 9 elective credits to comprise the 35-credit degree program.

MGIS students must complete a minimum of 18 credits of 500-level courses.

As part of the program requirements, students are required to complete 6 credits of GEOG 596. (Individual GEOG 596 credit needs will be determined in consultation with the student's academic advisor.) These 6 credits are part of the 18 credit minimum mentioned above.

Our programs operate on a compressed semester (or term) system:

Fall 1: August through October

Fall 2: October through December

Spring 1:January through March

Spring 2: February through May

Summer:May through July

The typical student course load is expected to be three to five courses per year. It is recommended that students take only one course at a time. At the rate of four three-credit courses each year (one course per term, most students will complete the MGIS in about three years of part-time study.

Students earn the MGIS degree (35 credits) by successfully completing the following groups of courses:

Year 1: complete the classes that comprise either the Postbaccalaureate Certificate Program in GIS (11 credits) or the Graduate Certificate and Option in Geospatial Intelligence (13 credits) or the Graduate Certificate in Geodesign (14 credits);

Year 2: 9-18 credits of advanced (500-level) MGIS courses; and

Year 3: at least 6 credits of individual study.

The chart below illustrates a typical plan of study for the Master's Program. For course availability information, see our Course Calendar.

Typical plan of study for the Master's Program

Year 1 - Complete the Classes that Comprise one of the Certificate Programs

The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is committed to making its websites accessible to all users, and welcomes comments or suggestions on access improvements. Please send comments or suggestions on accessibility to the website editor.